Old Man’s Journey Review (Nintendo Switch)

If you’ve had enough of crazy colourful platform games and heart-pounding action titles, look no further. Old Man’s Journey is just as calming as the name suggests and this mobile experience just hit the Switch. Just in time to massage any tension from pent-up Nintendo gamers.

Old Man’s Journey Review: Smart Casual

We use the word ‘experience’ as this is a very casual game at heart. The gameplay simply involves moving the aged protagonist across the gorgeously animated landscapes, to reach an unknown destination. Your mission is accomplished by directly manipulating the scenes themselves. In other words, reshaping hills and slopes with a quick drag of your finger, to form a path for the old man to follow.

Occasionally you’ll also need to solve a simple puzzle to progress. For instance, you’ll sometimes run into some troublesome sheep who block your progress. Shifting them requires a bit of careful poking and prodding as well as landscape rearrangement, until they’re out of your path. That’s about as tricky as things get. If you’re after a proper challenge, we’d definitely recommend a different puzzle or adventure title.

Old Man’s Journey Review: Best served chilled

Still, unless you’re adverse to this relaxing pace, Old Man’s Journey is very hard to dislike. Although gameplay rarely veers from the slow and steady course set out at the beginning, this title is beautiful enough to appease anyone after a more laid-back portable experience. From those lush hand-drawn visuals and soothing soundtrack to the simple yet effectively-told story, the game’s presentation is top notch throughout.

Personally, we found Old Man’s Journey was best played in short 20-minute bursts. Basically, whenever we needed a break from the hectic pace of everyday existence. However, you could certainly smash through the entire game in a single sitting if you so desired. Playing right through takes roughly two to three hours, so it will fill a modest train or plane journey quite nicely.